


Stages and Stars

by the_cats_pyjamas



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: All of them are good friends, Alternate Universe - Human, Astronomer Logic | Logan Sanders, Baker Morality | Patton Sanders, I will add tags as I go, Musician Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Panic Attacks, Slow Burn, Theater Kid Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:53:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25582402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_cats_pyjamas/pseuds/the_cats_pyjamas
Summary: Four people, an actor, an astronomer, a musician and a baker, move into a flat together at the start of the year. As they go through the various struggles of life, they slowly become friends and end up making friendships and relationships that are unbreakable.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 18
Kudos: 58





	1. Moving In Day

**Author's Note:**

> In which four men move into an apartment and the first day begins

“For Lease  
Four Bedroom, one bathroom flat with spacious living area and kitchen. Situated near the centre of town. Close to the local train station.  
Affordable and accessible living.”  
\------  
Roman Prince opened the door to his new apartment. Judging by how empty and quiet it was he assumed he was the first to arrive. He put the boxes he was carrying down and took a look into every room in the place. There were four spacious bedrooms, a surprisingly large bathroom, an open plan living room and kitchen with large windows that overlooked the town and a door that lead to the balcony. Roman gave a little shimmy of excitement. This was his first time since college where he was living on his own. Well, sort of on his own. The three people he was sharing with seemed nice enough from his brief interactions with them, especially that Patton guy. Roman couldn’t wait until the rest of them got here! 

He picked up his stuff from where he dumped it on the kitchen table and took them to one of the rooms. They were roughly the same size with a similar layout, each set out with a bed, a bookcase, desk and wardrobe. Roman surveyed the room of his choice and immediately mapped out where his things would go. He would change the desk into a vanity, he would change the bedsheets for his own, he could put up his posters on the walls and he hoped the bookcase was big enough to keep all of his books. Roman gave a happy sigh, then turned around to get the rest of his things from the car, singing happily as he went down.  
\---  
Patton Sanders stood in front of the door to his new apartment. He could hear someone singing on the other side, and a bundle of nerves and excitement built up inside of him. He plastered a massive smile on his face before opening the door. He was immediately greeted by a taller man with wavy auburn hair and tan skin. 

“Hello!” the man said with a large smile on his face. “My name is Roman Prince, and I am one of your roommates!” He had a sing songy voice and seemed to be full of energy. 

“My name is Patton Sanders. It is really nice to meet you!” Patton responded, his nerves dissipating a little. He had a good feeling about Roman. “How long have you been here?”

“Only a couple of hours. Here, let me help you,” Roman said as he noticed the boxes in Patton’s arms fall slightly. He plucked a box out of Patton’s grasp and set it down on the table near them. 

“Thanks.” Patton set his other boxes down and surveyed the apartment. The walls were a nice cream colour and there were some nice pictures hanging up, but what really excited Patton was the kitchen. It was nice and spacious, with plenty of bench space and a surprisingly big oven. Patton had a passion for baking. Ever since he was little and his dad had let him help make a batch of cookies. It had ended in disaster, with Patton being covered head to toe in flour and chocolate, but it was one of his favourite memories. That was the moment when he fell in love with baking. He loved how he was able to create things that made other people happy, that comforted them and him, and he felt like he could just pour all his emotions into his baking. It had become his biggest comfort. 

Patton settled in quite quickly and was just hanging his clothes in the closet when he heard a knock on the door. “I got it,” he called out to Roman. He probably couldn’t hear him though. Roman had been singing along to Disney songs for hours now, and although Patton thought he had a nice voice, it did start to get a bit tedious after hearing I’ll Make a Man Out of You for the 5th time. Patton put on his best welcoming face, and opened the door to reveal a thin man. He was dressed completely in black except for his bangs, which were a brilliant purple. He had what Patton assumed was a guitar strapped on his back, and a couple of large bags in a cart behind him. He seemed rather nervous, judging by his face and the way he moved from foot to foot. 

“Hello, I’m Patton,” he said cheerily, hoping to ease this man’s nerves. 

“Virgil,” the man responded. He had stopped fidgeting, which Patton took as a good sign. Patton gave him a reassuring smile, and stepped out of the doorway to allow Virgil to enter. Virgil gave Patton a small smile as he passed and made his way to check out the rest of the apartment. 3 down, one to go.

Roman came out of his room as Virgil entered the living room, slightly exhausted from singing continuously for the past couple of hours as he unpacked and set up most of his stuff. Virgil gave Roman a nod of acknowledgement as he passed him, headphones covering his ears. Roman lifted his hand in a wave, a bit too tired to care about the lack of a proper introduction.  
It was getting pretty late and Roman was wondering when the last guy was going to get here. They should start getting dinner ready soon. Roman took out his phone and looked up nearby pizza places. Nobody wants to have to cook on moving in day and everyone liked pizza! He vaguely heard a knock on the door and heard Patton yell that he had got it. 

Patton opened the door and was immediately struck with how put together the man on the other side looked. He was wearing a black shirt with a blue striped tie and black slacks. His brown hair looked perfectly organised and black glasses similar to Patton’s own were resting in front of bright blue eyes. A sense of control seemed to radiate from him. The man cleared his throat and put his hand out for Patton to shake. Patton blushed as he realised that he was staring and took the man’s hand. 

“Salutations, my name is Logan Berry,” he said in a clear cool voice. 

“Hey, I’m Patton!”

“You’re the one who made the deal with the landlord correct?” 

“That’s me! You’re the last one to arrive, but it’s all good.” Patton stepped aside to let Logan in. “The last room is yours. Take your time unpacking.” 

Logan gave Patton a smile as he passed and moved around the apartment. Patton watched him go.  
A voice appeared next to him, startling him slightly. “Hey padre, is pizza good for dinner?” 

Patton blinked and focussed on Roman next to him. “Yeah pizza sounds good!” Roman gave him a knowing smile and walked off, humming softly as he went.


	2. Pizzas and Puns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the first day. The gang get to know each other a bit and eat pizza.

It had taken a lot of time before they sat down together for pizza. Logan had stayed in his room for a couple of hours after he had arrived and then left for a bit and had to be chased down by Roman. Virgil seemed quite reluctant to come out and talk to the others, but Patton had managed to coax him out and into the living room. Roman and Patton had hit it off immediately, Patton’s bubbly personality well matched to Roman’s passionate one. 

“…and so I told him that he could stuff it and he punched me,” Roman said. They had started sharing stories from when they were younger and Roman had done some very dramatic re-enactments as he went into a couple of his childhood stories. 

“Geez, that guy sounds like a real pizza work,” Patton said. The grin on his face was the type of grin that a person made when they knew they had made a particularly bad pun and were very pleased with themselves. Logan gave a slight groan and exchanged a look with Virgil, who gave him an amused smile in return. 

Roman gave a huff of laughter at the pun, and grabbed another slice of pizza. An awkward silence filled the apartment, as awkward silences tend to do. 

“Well…” Patton said, breaking the silence. “We should probably get to know each other given we are going to be living together for a while. How about we get up a list of questions and ask each other them? That’s what we did in college to get to know each other better!”

“That sounds like an excellent idea!” Roman said, pulling out his phone and looking up a list of questions. “Alright question number one, favourite tv show?”

“Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. Arguably one of the best space documentaries, although there are quite a few good ones.” Logan stated calmly. Roman snorted, and Logan glared at him. 

“What? It sounds very nerdy,” Roman said, looking at Logan with amusement. Logan raised his eyebrow and looked considerably disgruntled. Patton sent a pointed look in Roman’s direction, causing Roman to feel slightly guilty. 

“So, Logan, you’re interested in space?” Patton asked, trying to keep the conversation going. 

“Yes,” Logan responded. “I always have been. I majored in astronomy and I hope to be able to become a certified astrophysicist in the near future. It has been my lifelong passion for as long as I can remember.”

“That’s wonderful,” Patton said. “I love baking. My dad taught me when I was little, and ever since then it has been one of my favourite things to do. I want to open my own bakery, but it will take a while. What about you Virgil? Do you have a passion or a hobby you love?”

“Well, sort of… it isn’t as good as baking or astrology, but I really like music.”

“Music is wonderful,” Patton exclaimed. “Do you play any instruments? What’s your favourite genre? Do you sing as well?”

Virgil blushed, slightly nervous by all the attention, but he responded quite calmly. “Yes I play several instruments, but my main ones are the guitar, both electric and acoustic, piano, saxophone and clarinet. My favourite genre is probably what people would classify as ‘emo’ music-“ He was cut off by the sound of Roman snorting. “What are you laughing at, Disney Prince reject?” 

Roman looked at him, having the audacity to look offended at the name. “It’s just, of course you like emo music, just look at you!” Roman said, laughing slightly. “Also Disney Prince reject? Ouch.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean? And the name is very fitting. I mean, just look at you. You wouldn’t look out of place in a Disney movie.”

“I will take that as a compliment, given that Disney princes look very handsome. And what I mean by that is, well, you look like a classic emo. The long fringe, black clothing, basically everything about you screams ‘no one understands me’.” 

“Now, now,” Patton said, wanting to interrupt the two men before it turned violent or one of them said something they would deeply regret. “Roman, don’t say things like that, and Virgil, there is nothing wrong with liking emo music, and I think your style is very nice. Now both of you apologise to each other and then we can continue.”

“Why should I apologise to him? He was the one who started it.” Virgil said, glaring at Roman.

“Well that is unnecessarily childish, emo.”

“So is teasing someone for being emo.”

“Okay, okay,” Patton said, looking slightly exasperated. Logan gave him a sympathetic look. “You are both being childish by not apologising to each other. Alright, Roman, apologise to Virgil.”

Roman gave Patton an ‘are you serious’ look. Patton responded by giving Roman a classic ‘I’m waiting’ dad look. Roman sighed, then grudgingly looked at Virgil. “I’m sorry Virgil,” he mumbled. Patton then looked at Virgil. 

“Oh come on, do I have to?” Virgil said. Patton gave him a pointed look and Virgil caved. “Fine, I’m sorry too Roman.”

“Good.” Patton smiled. “Now we can move on. Roman, do you have a passion or hobby you like?”

Roman’s face brightened considerably at the question. “Do I? Why, I love acting and performing and I love reading and writing. Anything creative really. One day I will make it onto Broadway, but at the moment I am doing small shows at the local theatre. I just love being able to disappear into different worlds or help create them. It is just the most magical feeling. Anyway, one day you can all say that you knew Roman Prince, the famous actor.”

This time Virgil was the one who snorted. “Wait, your last name is Prince?”

Roman gave him an annoyed look. “Yes, what about it?”

Logan and Patton shared a ‘here we go again’ look. They could already tell that this would be a common occurrence. Luckily, Roman avoided having an argument by simply responding with “I know.”   
A more comfortable silence followed as they finished off the pizza before them. Patton offered to clear the table, which no one objected to, and eventually they all drifted off to do their different routines before bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter!!   
> Thanks for all of the love on the last chapter.   
> Once again comments are greatly appreciated and a new chapter should be out soon!


	3. Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton and Roman go food shopping and Logan helps Virgil through a panic attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Virgil has a panic attack, which I have written based off of my own experiences with panic attacks. Everyone experiences anxiety a bit differently, and your experience may not have been mine. That is all!

It had been a couple of days since they had all moved in together and they had started to settle into a comfortable routine. Patton got up first, and tended to make a pot of coffee for everyone to help themselves (Logan was horrible before his coffee in the morning), and he would be the first out the house on the days when he worked at the local bakery. Logan and Roman were often up next and would help themselves to coffee and jam and toast (they had bonded over a shared love of Crofters). Virgil would be the last up, and he would come in with his headphones over his ears and dance around the kitchen a little as he made his breakfast.

“I am going to go food shopping today, so add what you want me to get on this list,” Patton said as they were sitting around the kitchen table eating breakfast. 

“I’ll come with you,” Roman said. “I need a distraction from my audition this afternoon.”

“I am sure you will be fine Roman. You have been practicing a lot,” Patton responded reassuringly.

“Oh, I know I will do well, I am just a little nervous.” Roman gave Patton a confident smile that was unfortunately ruined by the jam on his face. Virgil gave a snort of laughter and Roman shot him a glare. “What are you laughing at JD-lightful?”

“Nothing, it’s just you have jam smeared all over your face, which kind of ruins your act of confidence.”

Roman gave a huff of annoyance, and went to wash his face. 

“So, what are you guys doing today?” Patton asked.

“Well, I was planning on doing some more research on the local observatory, and probably spend the day reading. There was a new book on astronomy that came out last week that I haven’t had a chance to read yet.” 

“That sounds fun. How about you Virgil?”

“I was just going to fiddle around with my music. I was expecting a call from someone as well, so I am going to wait for that,” Virgil said, in a slightly harsher tone than usual.

Patton gave him a slightly confused look, but he brushed it off as Virgil being tired. The conversation changed to the weather for the week and the answers of the crossword that Logan was doing. He did them most mornings as he had breakfast, and the others would chime in occasionally if they knew a word. Roman was quite good at crosswords, mostly from all of the books he read, much to the surprise of everyone, especially Virgil, who had found out couple of days ago that Roman had been taking toast out of the toaster with a fork when it was stuck (it was a wonder he was still alive). 

“What is a thirteen letter word, starting with m, for a collection or group composed of members or elements of different kinds?” Logan asked.

“Miscellaneous,” Roman said as he entered the room after washing his face. Logan wrote it down. 

“How about a nine letter word for obscurity or vagueness? Starts with a, ends with y.”

“Hmmm…. Try ambiguity.”

Logan filled in the squares. “It works. Well done.”

After the crossword was done, Logan and Virgil disappeared into their respective rooms and Patton and Roman headed out to the shops to buy some more food.  
“Hey Roman, do you think Virgil sounded a little off today?” Patton asked as they made their way to the store.

“No, I thought he seemed just as moody as normal. Why?”

“Oh, it was probably nothing, but he just seemed a little on edge.”

Roman gave this some consideration. “Maybe. I didn’t really notice that much. Also we have only known each other fully for a couple of days, so I can’t say I know any of you well enough to know if you are acting off from your usual character.”

“That’s fair. I just have a feeling.” Roman shrugged, not sure how to respond. The two men entered the store, and they headed around the aisles, grabbing the food they need off the shelves and into the trolley. 

“Hey Roman, look!” said Patton as they went to the produce section. “Oni-on.” He pointed to the pile of onions. “Oni-off.” He pointed to floor. Roman smiled, having a great appreciation of puns. 

“You know,” Patton began as they passed the tray of potatoes, “I actually have a lot of jokes about potatoes, but I just don’t know where to starch.” Patton had that very specific look on his face, like the facial equivalent of a ‘ba dum tss’. 

“I always try to look nice wherever I go, because you never know who you are going to meat,” Patton joked, pointing to the fridge of meat products. Roman was enjoying himself immensely as Patton jumped from food to food, making a punny comment of each one they passed.

“I have a fondness for bananas. I find them very appealing.” Patton had the biggest smile on his face. He picked up a pair. “I think you and I make an excellent pear!”  
“Me too Padre,” Roman said as he laughed. “Those puns are very good.”

“Thanks. I have a lot more.” Patton started thumping the beetroot as they passed it. “Listen to that beet.” Roman gave an appreciative chuckle, watching in amusement as his friend ran around the store.

“Being around all of this food has made me berry hungry,” Patton quipped as he grabbed some strawberries and raspberries from the tray and placed them in the trolley. 

“Gosh, aren’t my puns just grape?” Roman gave a huff of laughter. He thought Patton’s puns were excellent and he admired how fast he could come up with them. 

“Indeed they are Patton.” Patton gave Roman an appreciative smile and Roman returned it. The two bought their food, and walked back to the apartment, swapping jokes and laughing as they went.  
\--  
Virgil’s morning went a little differently. He had been on edge all day, waiting for the manager of the local pub to call him to see if they were willing to let him perform there. He wasn’t normally this anxious, well, not since high school at least. Years of therapy meant that his anxiety had reduced drastically, and he had a good control over it when it did happen to get worse. However, for whatever reason (probably moving in to a new place with people he had only met once or twice before), his anxiety was worse than it had been in a while. Which meant that a simple phone call like the one he was waiting on, which would usually make him feel a little nervous, was sending him into a full-blown panic attack. 

It had been so long since Virgil had had a panic attack that he was thrown quite off guard and lost control of the situation pretty quickly. He felt super sick and a bit dizzy, and he could feel himself start to hyperventilate. He knew he needed to shake himself out of it, but in his panic he couldn’t remember any of the grounding strategies that he normally used. Virgil curled up on his bed and grabbed the sheets as a way to try and ground himself. 

Through his state of panic, Virgil heard a knock on his bedroom door, and Logan’s voice asking if he could come in. This sent him into a further state of panic, as he didn’t want Logan, or any of his new roommates to see him in this state. What would they say? What would they think of him for panicking over something so small? He felt silly for having a panic attack over a stupid phone call, but he couldn’t help it. He barely registered the door opening and Logan entering. He vaguely heard Logan say something, and he forced himself to listen to what Logan was saying. 

“Hey, Virgil, listen to me,” Logan said in a clear calm voice. Virgil listened the best he could. “I need you to take deep breaths for me, okay? Breathe with me. In…1…2…3…4… Out…1…2…3…4…, good, again, deep breathes.” Logan repeated the exercise a couple more times, until Virgil’s breathing was back to normal and he had calmed down significantly. Virgil mumbled something under his breath which Logan didn’t quite catch. 

“Could you please repeat that Virgil?”

“’m sorry,” Virgil mumbled, looking down at the ground. Logan was taken aback and unsure of how to respond. 

“Why are you sorry Virgil?” Logan asked. Virgil avoided looking at Logan as he responded. 

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that and I understand if you don’t want to be my friend after this.”

“Nonsense. There is nothing to apologise for. Anxiety attacks, while unpleasant for the person having them, are not a deal breaker when it comes to friendship. My mother had anxiety, and she taught me how to help someone who was having a panic attack, and so I am not deterred by having to help someone while they are having one. There is no reason to apologise for something you can’t help, and I am still willing to be friends.”

Virgil gave Logan a shy smile. “I’m still embarrassed though. It has been ages since I have had one and I thought I had a grip on my anxiety, but look at me, having a stupid panic attack over some dumb phone call.”

“Virgil, there are other factors in your life that may cause your anxiety to be heightened. You just moved places to live with a group of people who you hadn’t really met! That’s a big change and I am sure it would make you more anxious than usual. Also, if it is any consolation, I won’t ever judge you for having anxiety,” Logan said, giving Virgil a smile. Virgil returned it with a shier smile, and Logan stood to leave. 

“Hey Logan?” Virgil called out as Logan opened the door. Logan turned around.

“Yes Virgil?”

“Thank you…. for helping me.”

“No problem. That’s what friends are for.”  
\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Chapter!  
> Sorry it has taken a while for me to update.  
> Comments are greatly appreciated.


	4. The Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman auditions for a musical, meets a kind stranger and bonds with Logan over books.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait between chapters! I hope you enjoy this one. There is some fun Logince bonding in it.

Roman entered the town theatre hall, butterflies in his stomach. He knew that once he got on stage he would be perfectly fine, but right now he had pre-audition nerves. He held the flier for the audition and a sheet with his details on it. The local theatre company was doing Wicked this spring and Roman wanted nothing more than to be a part of it. 

He sat down where instructed by the young lady sitting at a table and looked around. About 20 or so other people were waiting, all with sheets like the flier instructed. There were a couple of women about the same age as Roman, several men who looked a lot older than him and a few other people, young and old. Roman waited patiently until his name was called, nerves building in his stomach. 

He always had a decent amount of confidence in his acting, and this was no different. He knew once he got up on stage he would be fine. More than fine, he would be fantastic. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. 

When his name was called Roman got up and entered the audition room. It was a large room off the hallway, opposite to the main theatre space. In the middle of the room there were three people sitting at a table. The lady in the middle gave him a large grin, the man on the right nodded at him kindly and the woman on the left gave him a small smile. Encouraged by this, Roman handed them his sheet with his details and the pianist his sheet music and then began to sing. 

As Roman sang, all of his nerves began to melt away. He always felt the most confident when singing or acting, or just being on stage, and this was no exception. He made his way through the song with minimal mistakes and left the audition room feeling rather exhilarated. The lady at the table in the hallway said the casting list would be up in 7 days and that he would also receive an email letting him know if he got in. Roman left with a smile on his face, his confidence boosted by his performance. In this moment he didn’t care whether or not he got in, or whether he only got ensemble, it was a joy to perform again after the stress of moving.

Roman walked through the town, wrapping his coat around himself more firmly as a chilly breeze swept through. He caught sight of the local library, somewhere he had been meaning to check out ever since he moved here, and thought that now would be the perfect time, as a respite from the cold.

Roman entered the library and was immediately hit with the warmth from the building and the smell of books. It was his favourite smell in the world, and if he could bottle it he would. As it was, he tried to savour the scent as much as he could. He took off his coat and tied it around his waist to avoid overheating, and started to peruse the shelves. Roman could never get enough of books. He had always been an avid reader, devouring books when he was younger as a way to escape the horrors and hardships that plagued the real world. He loved being able to disappear into different worlds, to be able to join in the battles alongside his favourite characters, to watch the journeys of the people in the stories, to believe in the magic of worlds other than his own. Roman’s imagination was his limit and it was fuelled from the stories he read and the plays he performed. 

Roman let his finger run across the spines of the books on the shelves. This library had a surprisingly good selection, and he saw a bookshop near the cinema that he would have to check out as soon as he could. He picked out a couple, and then a couple more and more and more. He knew he might not be able to get through them all before they were due to be returned, but he didn’t care, for the more the better. He couldn’t see where he was going over the pile of books he had in his arms and so it was inevitable he would bump into someone. Luckily the man he did bump into was very kind, and helped him pick up the books that had fallen out of his arms. 

“I’m so sorry,” Roman said for about the fifth time as they picked up all of the books on the ground. The man just smiled. 

“There is absolutely nothing to be sorry for. These are a lot of books, I am not surprised you bumped into someone.”

“Still, it was rather rude of me to bump into you and you have my sincerest apologies.”

“It’s cool, but I will accept your apology,” said the man with a chuckle. He extended his hand for Roman to shake. “My name is James.”

“Roman.” 

“What a name! It is very nice to meet you Roman. So, I can see you like reading.”

“Yeah! Reading and acting, basically anything that can help tell a story. I love being able disappear into a world other than our own,” Roman said, smiling enthusiastically. 

“You like acting?”

“Like is a bit of an understatement. I live for it. There is nothing I love more than the thrill of the stage. Sorry, I don’t know why I am telling you this.”

“No problem. I love acting as well, so I get it. It is very nice to meet a fellow actor. There were some auditions this week for a new show, did you go?”

“Yes I did! I actually just came from an audition. I gave it my best shot and even if I am just ensemble that would be fantastic. I think it is really cool that there is a local theatre community here!” 

“I auditioned as well, so maybe you and I will be in a show together.” James handed Roman the last of the books. Roman smiled. 

“Looking forward to it!” he said.

The two men stood up, Roman now holding all of the books he had dropped. “Here, take my bag to put the books in. We don’t want you bumping into any more strangers do we?”   
Roman gave a slight chuckle and took the bag that James had offered him. “Thanks.” James gave Roman a small wave, and Roman watched him go, a smile on his face. Roman turned around to continue down the aisle and almost bumped straight into another person. Except this person was very familiar. “Logan?” 

“Oh, Roman, hello.” Logan greeted. “Weren’t you going to an audition?”

“Yeah, I just came back from it. What are you doing here?” Roman asked, then realised that there was really only one main reason to come to a library. Logan gave him an accordingly confused look, evidently thinking the same thought, and gestured to the books on the shelves. “Right, that was a stupid question. Ignore that. Anyway, I didn’t peg you for fiction type, nerd.”  
Logan gave an amused laugh.   
“I’m not normally, but I thought I would at least look at the selection. I came here to see what astronomy books the library had. Unfortunately, that particular section is particularly small, but I did find a couple of books I found interesting. I must admit, I am a bit surprised by the amount of books you have there, but you have mentioned an interest in reading in the past. Do you have a bag for those books?”

“Yep.” Roman responded, showing the bag in his hand. He placed the books on the ground and starting putting them in the bag. “Reading has always been my passion. That and acting. I just love being able to escape into another world!”

“Interesting. I love books for the information they are able to convey. Fictional works have never really grabbed my attention in the same way, but it would make sense that someone like you would like them,” Logan stated.

“What do you mean someone like me?”

“Well, you have tendency to be dramatic and over the top and you look and act a bit like you came straight out of a Disney movie. I was merely observing that way you act means that an assumption one may make about you is a love of fiction, specifically fantasy, although I could be wrong,” Logan said calmly, as if the whole matter was simply a case of obvious deduction. 

“I mean, you aren’t wrong. I do love fantasy, and Disney is a passion of mine. Have you by any chance read any murder mysteries?”

“No. Why?” 

“You are giving me serious Sherlock Holmes vibes at the moment. I have a feeling you would like them. Especially Holmes, but I am sure you would probably like Poirot. Here,” Roman said, walking down the aisle towards the crime and mystery section. Roman picked out a couple of books and handed them to Logan with a smile. Logan took them and read the blurbs of each. “These are some of the best detective novels I have read. The Hound of the Baskervilles, one of the most famous Sherlock Holmes books, which I think you will enjoy. Then we have The Murder On the Orient Express and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, both Hercule Poirot books by Agatha Christie. These are two of her best, although And Then There Were None is said to be her best work, although I prefer these two. Anyway, I think you will enjoy these,” Roman finished, with a smile on his face.

Logan gave the books consideration. They couldn’t hurt to read, and detective novels were generally rooted in science and logic, two things he loved. He nodded, and Roman gave him an enthusiastic smile. The two checked their books out and walked back home in the cold, carrying their books with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excuse the fact that I have never auditioned for anything in my life, let alone for a community theatre production so I am sorry for any inaccuracies. James may or may not have an important role later in the story. Also Platonic Logince bonding!  
> Feel free to yell at me on Tumblr - @booknerd-23  
> Comments are greatly appreciated!!


	5. Roman's success

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman anxiously waits to see whether he gets a part in the local play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not dead!!! Sorry for the wait for this chapter and I hope you enjoy it!!

Roman stared at his laptop, constantly refreshing his emails, bouncing his leg to try and calm himself down. He was waiting to know whether or not he got into the community musical. 

Despite his confidence in his acting he was feeling uncertain about getting in. Virgil kept glancing over at him as he sipped his coffee, but Roman ignored him. Logan was in his room, reading most likely or working on some top secret project or whatever he was hiding. He had been surprisingly protective about people going into his room. Patton had once almost gone in as he was cleaning up the apartment to drop some books of Logan’s off and Logan almost tackled Patton away. No one was interested in going into Logan’s room after that, although Roman was exceedingly curious to know what Logan was hiding. 

Patton was humming and dancing around the kitchen as he baked. He was almost constantly baking, and while Roman wasn’t complaining because the smell was heavenly and the results were delicious, he did wonder how Patton could do it day in day out. Roman got bored after a couple of minutes. Cooking on the other hand Roman enjoyed. He was able to taste as he went and add his own flair. Baking you had to measure everything out and if it wasn’t exact then it messed the whole thing up. But everything Patton made was delicious and his baking brought a sense of warmth and homeliness to the apartment, and made Patton happy, so Roman didn’t really have a problem with it. 

Roman stared at the screen, which still hadn’t shown any new emails. He didn’t notice his leg bouncing was causing the whole table to shake until Virgil’s coffee splashed him.   
“Hey Princey, chill out, you’re causing my coffee to spill,” Virgil said, his tone half playful half serious. Roman took a deep breath and moved to lie on the couch. He picked up the book he was reading and opened it, but he couldn’t focus enough to take in the words. He sighed, put the book down and stared out the window. The sky was a solid grey, and the trees shook in the wind. It looked how Roman felt, bleak and cold, the nerves and excitement churning in his stomach. He needed a distraction.

Roman stood up and went into his room. He usually read when he needed to be distracted, but his emotions were too overwhelming to fully concentrate on reading words on a page. He popped on headphones and turned on his music. The familiar tunes of his favourite musicals surrounded him, and he began to clean his room. Roman always struggled with wanting to be able to control his life, which created so many problems for him given how out of control his life always seemed to be. 

Roman made his bed, smoothing out the sheets and piling the plethora of blankets he slept under on top. He picked the clothes off of his floor and chucked them in a basket to be put in the wash later. He cleared his desk/vanity (he really needed a better space to do his makeup) and then sat down in front of his bookshelf. He took all of the books off of it, and then started to reorganise them. He didn’t really have a theme for his books, he just put them wherever felt right, as long as series and authors went together. Many of his books where slightly tattered from all of the times Roman had read them, while other newer books were in a bit better condition. It wasn’t that Roman didn’t take care of his books, for he did, he just liked to read as much as possible, on the train, on the beach, while eating, and so as a result his books just got a little more wear and tear than perhaps a casual readers books. Also Roman loved to reread books he loved, which meant that certain books looked a little more worse for wear than others. 

One particularly battered book was his copy of Anne of Green Gables. The book was a small paperback, with the original text and an illustrated cover, depicting a redheaded girl clutching a book to her chest in front of a large white and green house. The spine was all bent, and one of the corners of the cover had come off completely, exposing the pages behind it. The pages themselves looked a little water damaged, but the main text of the book was largely unharmed. It was one of Roman’s absolute favourite books, the one he read for comfort, so much so that he could basically recite portions of it.

He wasn’t sure why he loved the book so much. It could be the way it was written, with a classic early twentieth century style that made everything sound oh so wonderful. It could be the endearing character of Anne, a talkative imaginative girl, who seemed to strike a note in the hearts of those around her, and who Roman found a portion of himself reflected in. It could be the delightful nature of the story, the little adventures and accidents that Anne found herself in. Whatever it was, the book brought great comfort to Roman, who had spent many days of his childhood holed up in his room, devouring this book again and again. It provided as much comfort to him as a childhood toy or a blanket. 

With his bookshelf reorganised, his mind was once again free to wander back to the musical. He needed a role in this so badly, so much it hurt. He needed them to like him, needed them to notice him, because if they didn’t then… then… it didn’t matter what happened as long as it didn’t happen. He just needed to get a part in the play and then everything will be fine. 

He sat on his floor for a couple of minutes, tired from the tidying, and just stared at his bookshelf, admiring his large collection of books. A knock on the door broke him out of his stupor, and a voice followed.

“Hey Princey, you have an email.” 

Roman shot up, quickly opened the door and ran right into Virgil who was standing right outside his room, causing both of them to go crashing to the ground. Roman flushed, embarrassed, and quickly got off of Virgil, offering his hand to help him up. Virgil brushed him off, and got up himself, wincing slightly as he did so. 

“Sorry,” Roman said sheepishly. Virgil shrugged, appearing rather nonchalant about the whole ordeal, though he still moved rather tenderly. 

“Just go read that stupid email.” Roman nodded and ran over to his laptop, thankfully not bumping into anyone else on the way. He opened the email, and read through it as quickly as he could, then reread it because he didn’t actually take anything in the first time. 

“HEY PAT I GOT IN!!” Roman yelled, jumping up and down in excitement. Patton ran over, dusting the flour off his hands with his apron. “And as Fiyero Tiggelaar no less,” Roman exclaimed dramatically, striking an extravagant pose. “That’s one of the lead male roles,” he added after seeing Patton’s confused face. 

“Congratulations Roman! I am sure you will do a great job!” Patton said, clapping his hands. Virgil on the other hand, snorted and crossed his arms, looking at Roman with amusement. Roman glared at him.  
“What are you laughing at, Emo Nightmare?”   
“Nothing, just that stupid pose. And you have already used that nickname. Congrats Princey. Though maybe next time don’t knock me over.”

Roman gave a rather haughty look, but let it go. “Thank you… I think. And there is nothing wrong with this pose or my nicknames, JD-lightful. And… uh… sorry about that.” 

Virgil shrugged. “It’s chill. You only broke a couple of ribs, nothing major.” Virgil said playfully. Roman noticed a glint in his eye and was about to respond with a clever remark, but was distracted by Logan finally emerging from his room. 

“What is all this noise about?” 

“Roman got a part in the show the local theatre group is doing!” Patton said excitedly. 

“Well congratulations Roman, but could you all please keep the noise down? I am trying to read.”

“Sorry Logan but no can do! I was born for the stage and I must make my achievements heard!”

“Hey Logan, while you are out here would you like have some of these peanut butter cookies I just made. We can have them in celebration of Roman’s success!” 

Logan sighed, but smiled at the offer. Roman smiled at Patton, who went over to the bench and brought over a tray of cookies that had just come out the oven. 

“You know, I knew a friend who was in a theatre production about English Language Puns,” Patton said as he passed the tray around.

“Were they? How interesting,” Logan commented as he took a cookie. 

“Oh yes. It was a play on words!” Patton gave a little giggle at his pun. Logan looked unimpressed, but he smiled a little as he bit into his cookie. 

“I also knew an actor who fell through the floor.”

“Were they alright?” Logan asked, cautious of the direction this was going.

“Don’t worry, it was just a stage he was going through!” This was met with hearty laughs from Roman, sighs from Logan and amused looks from Virgil. 

“Well thank you for the cookies, Patton, they are quite delicious!” Roman declared, kicking his feet up on the chair next to him. 

“It’s no problem! Congratulations on the part! Or should I say, congrat-shoe-lations!” When this was met with no response Patton continued. “You know, the silver shoes that Dorothy finds, belonging to the Wicked Witch of the East… who is also a witch of Oz like the Wicked Witch of the West… never mind.”

“It was a horrible pun but a valiant effort, Patton,” Roman said, smiling. “And now I must be off. I need to go down to the library to return some well over due books. Gosh those fines are expensive.” 

“Wait Roman before you go can you return some books for me too?” Logan asked, running into his room and returning with a couple of books. Roman nodded, putting them in his bag before dashing out the door.

“Well, those two seem to be getting along,” Virgil murmured as Logan went back into his room. 

“They sure are,” Patton said, a weird look on his face, but before Virgil had any time to decipher what that look meant it was gone, and Patton was smiling once more, leaving Virgil to wonder if he had imagined it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is up with Patton? And what is Logan hiding?? I wonder..... :)  
> Also I have no idea why I chose Wicked as the musical, I have know next to nothing about it and have only listened to the full thing once so ignore any mistakes I might make. I should have gone with a musical I was familiar with but I am a dumbass!  
> Comments are greatly appreciated!!  
> Talk to me on Tumblr @booknerd-23!

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to yet another Human AU!  
> This was written on a whim, and I hope you enjoy!  
> Comments are greatly apreciated!!


End file.
